The effects of mood and personality type on service quality perception and customer satisfaction

Purpose: The influences of personality type and mood on customer evaluations such as service quality and satisfaction are not yet explored in the tourism and travel literature. Hence, this study aims to: (1) identify the role of personality and mood in customer service quality perceptions and overall satisfaction; and (2) assess these variables’ impact on service quality perception–overall satisfaction relationship. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve the study’s objectives, firstly, 383 data were collected from German tourists staying in a five-star hotel in Antalya, Turkey. Then, the survey participants were clustered into four groups according to their personality types (A vs B) and mood (bad vs good). Findings: Service quality perceptions and overall satisfaction of the participants were shown to vary according to their personality types and moods. In addition, the results indicated that personality type and mood might change the effect of perceived service quality on overall satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: As the survey sample is limited to German tourists staying in a five-star hotel in Antalya, Turkey, the study findings should be carefully generalised to other nationalities and service settings. Originality/value: For service enterprises, it is important to understand how the psychological characteristics of the customers affect the perception of the services they offer. Therefore, the customer mood and personality traits, as well as their impacts on perceived service quality, have received wide coverage in the literature. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt to investigate the interrelationships of mood, personality, service quality perception and overall satisfaction in the hospitality context. © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited.